Orioles claim outfielder John Andreoli off waivers from Mariners, option him to Triple-A Norfolk

The Orioles added a depth piece off waivers Saturday by claiming outfielder John Andreoli from the Seattle Mariners, the team announced.

Andreoli, 28, made his major league debut May 23, and appeared in three games for the Mariners after signing with them as a minor league free agent in January.

When Alex Cobb was making his name with the Tampa Bay Rays early in his career, his changeup was so good that it had its own name — The Thing — to say nothing of the respect it also had from opposing hitters.

Its importance to what made him successful has only become more apparent now that he has...

He was designated for assignment Friday, and after claiming him, the Orioles assigned him to Triple-A Norfolk.

The Chicago Cubs drafted Andreoli out of UConn in the 17th round of the 2011 draft, and he’s spent most of the past four seasons at Triple-A. A career .270/.373/.388 hitter in the minors, Andreoli is 1-for-5 in the majors.

Additionally, Andreoli hit three home runs as a regular on Italy’s entrant in last year’s World Baseball Classic.

He plays all three outfield positions and has stolen 247 bases on 309 tries (80 percent) in his minor league career. Andreoli will join an outfield mix at Triple-A Norfolk that includes DJ Stewart, Mike Yastrzemski and Jaycob Brugman.